It's a blessing to be able to express joy or talk freely of an opening among those who share my religion. I wouldn't belong to this group if it didn't share my religion and understand its doctrines. My experience as a Quaker Christian (I don't like having to say that) has been a lonely one insofar as the different Meetings I have attended or was a member of were not Christian. Middletown Meeting came closest to being Christian.

When Lewis Benson was invited to the UK to speak about the Christian message of the Early Friends in 1974, he reported that after much prayer about whether to accept the invitation, he was shown that if he stayed close to the message of George Fox, and to his own experience, "no harm would be done."

It certainly rings true that something as important as the ministry of Jesus Christ should not be lightly or hastily undertaken. This is in direct contrast with the prevalent attitude…

In Meeting this morning I sat in a different spot so I would be near someone, anyone. I realized what missed greatly about the old Meeting Houses in Pennsylvania were the benches. It seems people were less inclined to sit alone on a bench, but with chairs as seating there's no choice. Were there more people attending early Meeting, I'm sure the sense of isolation would be different. Were there only one Meeting per First Day, nearness to one's neighbors would erase a feeling of isolation, it…

During Meeting for Worship it was opened in me to speak about Jesus's criticism of the Pharisees. Matt: 23. I understood Jesus's criticism to be for two reasons: the Pharisees were keepers of a demanding law. Yet they didn't keep God's Law, handed down by Moses. They taught the Law but did not have the Spirit. Two, the Pharisees had rewritten the Law or wrote new law that was not of God but men. The new law was influenced by their captivity in Babylon. These new laws were burdensome and…

If you listen to the language of professing Christians, a recurring phrase you will hear is "In Jesus' name," "In Christ's name," "In his name," or some other variant. I am not sure what they mean by the phrase, neither am I sure if they understand what those words really mean.

To do something or request something in Jesus' name is to act under his authority. "Have you been authorized by Jesus to act in his stead?" I have often wondered. From my perspective, I would have to conclude…